Poisonous Gas Sends 9 Hampton Inn Hotel Guests to Hospital

Nine people were treated for carbon monoxide exposure after the poisonous gas infiltrated a Hampton Inn hotel in the Buffalo suburb of West Seneca, New York.

Police responded to a call from the front-desk manager at about 5:30 a.m. yesterday after two guests asked to be moved to a new room, the Buffalo News reports. The couple felt dizzy and faint and had told hotel workers they believed fumes in their room were responsible.

According to the newspaper, authorities found high levels of carbon monoxide on the lower five floors of the hotel.

Police and firefighters conducted a room-by-room evacuation of approximately 70 guests who were staying at the hotel.

West Seneca Police Lt. David L. Szmania tells the newspaper repair crews from National Fuel traced the problem to a heating unit on the roof of the hotel. The problem was corrected, hotel workers ventilated the building, and guests were let back in around 10 a.m.

"It could have definitely been worse," says Szmania, who praised the police midnight shift along with the volunteer firefighters who were on the scene.

A local hospital reported that seven of the patients had been treated and released Saturday morning, and two others who were still being treated were expected to be released later in the day.